Although devoid of cinematic finesse, this is movie that must be watched for the larger message. Sandeep Varma needs to be applauded for choosing to tell this story as opposed to any other. Because stories about truth and humanity and standing up for what you believe in, that, although seem jaded in today’s times, are reminders we all need from time to time. Manjunath is one such movie. Go watch it and tell your children about it.

Much like last year’s brilliant Sundance winner Fruitvale Station (a similarly structured film based on real events), Manjunath isn’t interested in trying to add drama through events – in the first minute of the film, you’re told that the protagonist was murdered. It instead attempts to build a solid, complex character sketch, showing Manjunath (played by debutant Sasho Satish Sarathy) as a cheery, fun-loving and regular guy who hangs out with his friends.

For a movie whose conclusion is foregone, whose treatment is literal-minded, and whose message is sloppily assembled and delivered, Varma does throw up some surprises. He effectively captures the ordinariness of the milieu that produces Manjunath, and extracts solid performances from his cast. However, the director is less sure-footed about the larger issues thrown up by Manjunath’s death.